Poker Legislation News
The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed a pair of lawsuits last week, clearing the way for a referendum on gambling expansion to appear on the state’s November ballot. The measure, listed as Issue 4, would amend the Arkansas Constitution to allow for four casino gaming licenses. Ballotpedia details the four licenses as follows: • To Southland… Read more »
It is often said that “politics makes for strange bedfellows.” That adage is being proven in Florida, where a referendum on the ballot come the midterm elections has brought together an odd tandem who are looking for the same outcome. Brought Together for the Same Goal The Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell reported recently on how… Read more »
Oh wonderful. Look who’s back. On Monday, Jon Kyl, one of the men responsible for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), was named by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey as replacement for the late John McCain in the Senate. There isn’t anything going on in the Senate when it comes to online poker,… Read more »
Pennsylvania finally legalized online poker last fall and now the industry is finally, slowly starting to ramp up. The first deadline for casinos to apply for interactive gaming licenses was early last week and though for a while it looked like very few or even none of them would file petitions, in the end, nine… Read more »
The good news: Kentucky state Senators are trying to legalize sports betting in the state next year. The bad news: the taxes they propose will kill the industry before it starts. Senator Julian Carroll (D – Dist. 7) pre-filed BR 29, essentially getting it all set to go so that he can quickly introduce it… Read more »
Last week, Sander Dekker, Minister for Legal Protection of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security posted a statement outlining his Ministry’s plans for changes to the Netherlands’ Remote Gambling Act in an effort to open up the country for online gambling while at the same time offering protections to players. Not that long ago,… Read more »
Last fall, the Oregon Lottery terminated its contract with Portland Meadows, revoking the racetrack’s license to house ten video lottery terminals because the venue has engaged in what the Oregon Lottery considers illegal gambling. Portland Meadows appealed the decision, but recently, the Lottery responded, denying the appeal and confirming its own ruling from last year.… Read more »
While they were expected to be the first “newcomer” to the sports betting world after court decisions, New Jersey instead became the second (after Delaware) with their actions on Thursday. The Garden State became the third state to officially open their borders for sports betting bright and early on a sunny Thursday on both ends… Read more »
From the “good news / bad news” file, residents of Switzerland have voted in favor of a referendum that will legalize online gambling, buuuuttt…only Switzerland’s brick-and-mortar casinos will be able to offer online gaming. The law, which has already been passed by both houses of parliament, will go into effect at the beginning of next… Read more »
So this week has been an exciting one in the gambling world, hasn’t it? The United States Supreme Court deemed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) unconstitutional, making it permissible for states to legalize and regulate sports betting. A handful of states, including the state we have to thank for this… Read more »
It was a day that everyone assume was coming, but until this morning, there was always going to be at least some doubt. In a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of New Jersey and against the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and NCAA, striking down the Professional and… Read more »
After failing to gather enough votes for passage earlier this week, a Michigan lawmaker has reset his sights regarding his bill for online gaming. That reset goal? Right before the Michigan legislative body takes its summer break from Ann Arbor in June. Michigan Representative Brandt Iden introduced his bill, called House Bill 4926, late in… Read more »
You know that feeling when you are around a person and you think to yourself, “Why won’t they just go away already?” Well, I’ve never been around him, but I’ve had that feeling about Rep. Charlie Dent (R – Penn.) for a while now. And guess what? He’s actually about to go away! Last fall,… Read more »
After making a plea to its membership base for donations to continue their efforts, the future of the Poker Players Alliance is in doubt as those pleas apparently went unheard. In what has been a tumultuous few months for the Poker Players Alliance, the organization issued the call for donations as its leadership changed. In… Read more »
With a referendum regarding gambling in the state being held during the 2018 midterm elections, the Florida Legislature had a final shot to make any moves regarding the state’s gambling laws. Instead, the politicians in Tallahassee punted the subject down the road, ensuring that there would be no further changes to the state’s regulations at… Read more »
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt announced Tuesday via Twitter that he had officially filed the paperwork to run for Governor this fall. That he has thrown his hat into the ring is significant because he is extremely anti-online poker. His stance on internet poker became known in late 2015, when he confirmed that he would… Read more »
Just over a month since Spain and France merged their online poker player pools, Portugal is about to join them. On Friday, the Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), the country’s gaming regulatory body, published its technical standards framework for shared player liquidity. The next step is for Portuguese players to join Spanish… Read more »
First reported by GamblingCompliance (paywall alert), the Parx Casino has written a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), requesting that online gaming license holders only be allowed to have a single skin. The letter sums up the request as so: The Board should establish a limitation on the number of interactive gaming skins… Read more »
After more than a decade at the helm, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) announced Wednesday that John Pappas will be stepping down as the poker lobbying organization’s Executive Director at the end of February. PPA Vice President of Player Relations Rich Muny will take over the Executive Director role. In a press release issued Wednesday… Read more »
If at first you don’t succeed…you know how it goes. Such is the case in the New York state legislature, where for the third consecutive year, a bill which would legalize and regulate online poker has made it through the Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. S3898 passed easily by a 10-1 vote and now… Read more »
Sheldon Adelson continues to lurk. As shared last week by Poker Players Alliance vice president Rich Muny, four Congressmen have written a letter to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, asking him to reverse the Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) clarification of the Wire Act from late 2011 which said that the Act only prohibited… Read more »
As they prepare to drop the ball in New York City, it is appropriate to look back at the year gone by in the poker world. When it comes to politics regarding poker in 2017, for the first time in ages it wasn’t just the States of America that had its issues. Turmoil regarding poker,… Read more »
It’s not online poker, but New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill to little fanfare a week and a half ago that allows charities to accept credit and debit cards for raffles as well as sell raffle tickets over the internet. The “Charitable Gaming Act of 2017” was introduced in February and passed both… Read more »
A bill to legalize online gambling passed through a Michigan House of Representatives committee Wednesday and though it will be nearly impossible for it to advance any further during this legislative session, there is some hope for the next. The Bill, House Bill 4926, was introduced by Rep. Brandt Iden three months ago. He told… Read more »
One of online poker’s most fervent supporters in the political world, New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak, has one more trick up his sleeve before he retires. Late last week, Lesniak introduced a bill that would effectively allow New Jersey to enter into agreements with other countries in order to share player liquidity. The bill,… Read more »
